Oregon high school volleyball playoffs: Highlights from semifinals; vote for Friday's top star
The Oregon high school volleyball playoffs continued Friday with state semifinal matches in all classifications. Here are some of the highlights and top performers.
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Class 6A
It’s a bit of déjà vu in the OSAA Class 6A state championship match Saturday night.
For the second consecutive season, perennial contender Jesuit will face a first-time finalist at Forest Grove High School to take home the blue trophy.
Last year, it was Sheldon that was the debutante, knocking off the Crusaders in four sets. This time, it’ll be Oregon City that makes its first appearance after the Pioneers (23-3) knocked off Sprague in four sets Friday night, rallying for a 13-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 victory.
Last year, Oregon City finished fourth for its best tournament finish since 1999.
Jesuit (30-2) reached its fifth consecutive final with a three-set sweep of Nelson, 25-12, 25-14, 25-22. The teams also met in last year’s semifinals, when the Crusaders needed five sets to hold off the Hawks.
Class 5A
The 5A final at Forest Grove High School is a rematch from last season, with seventh-seeded Bend knocking off No. 2 West Albany and No. 3 Crater to earn a second shot at top seed and defending champion Crescent Valley.
The Raiders downed the Lava Bears in three sets last November to win the program’s first state championship.
The Raiders (21-2) swept both of their matches Friday, defeating Summit in the quarterfinals and Thurston 25-12, 25-13, 26-24 in the semifinals.
The Colts outlasted South Albany in five sets in the quarterfinals, as setter Emily Buller had a big match with 47 assists, 16 digs and five kills. Julia Cook had 25 kills and 22 digs, and Scout Martin added 17 kills and 15 digs for Thurston.
The Lava Bears (16-3) needed four sets to get past Crater 25-14, 23-25, 25-23, 25-5.
Class 4A
Marist Catholic made the short trip from its Eugene campus to Springfield High School and won two matches to reach its first 4A state final since 2009, rallying from two sets down to defeat Crook County in the quarterfinals, then beating Mazama in four in the semifinals.
The Spartans (22-2) will take on defending champion Marshfield (27-3) in Saturday's championship match. The Pirates swept The Dalles and Cascade on their way to the final.
Marist Catholic and Marshfield shared the Sky Em League title, with the Spartans winning in five sets in Eugene before the Pirates swept the rematch in Coos Bay.
“It’s great to have two teams from the Sky Em in the championship match,” said Marist Catholic coach Shari Pimental. “The top two teams playing against each other. We’re excited to be playing Saturday night.”
Giana Elgarico had 18 kills, 16 digs and two blocks for the Spartans against Mazama. Avia Tuguldur added 13 kills, 10 digs and three aces, Lauren Rohman had nine kills and four aces, and Avy Roundy had eight kills and three blocks.
The Vikings defeated Tillamook in the quarterfinals 25-20, 25-22, 25-12. Gillian Merhoff led Mazama with 11 kills and eight digs in that match, and Alexia Lowe had 18 assists, 12 digs and five aces.
Class 3A
The 3A final at Springfield High School is also a matchup of league rivals, with Mountain Valley Conference champion and top seed Sisters taking on No. 2 seed Pleasant Hill.
The Outlaws (24-2) outlasted defending champion Valley Catholic in five sets, rallying after dropping the first two and facing match point at 24-21 in the third for a 17-25, 17-25, 27-25, 25-16, 15-9 victory.
Reigning 3A player of the year Gracie Vohs had 23 kills (hitting .367) and 15 digs. Grace Myhre added 16 kills and 10 digs, Bailey Robertson had seven kills and four blocks, and Holly Davis added 44 assists.
The Billies (24-3) had a much easier time reaching their first final since winning their only title in the inaugural OSAA tournament in 1974, sweeping Creswell and Santiam Christian.
Junior Cheyenne Green led Pleasant Hill in both matches, recording 15 kills against Creswell and 11 against the Eagles. She served three aces in the semifinal match, and freshman Anna Crawford added 10 kills, Ruby Jackson had seven kills and four aces, and Claire Crawford had six aces, four kills and 30 assists.
Class 2A
Salem Academy will play for a third consecutive state title Saturday night at Ridgeview High School in Redmond after sweeping Grant Union and top seed Western Christian to reach the final.
The Crusaders (21-6) will face Portland Christian, which posted sweeps of Gaston and Oakridge in its two matches Friday, in the final. The Royals (20-1) last reached the final in 2018, when they beat Grant Union for the last of their three championships.
Emma Brewer had a match-high 31 kills with a .551 hitting percentage for Salem Academy in the semifinal win. Libero Sydnie Reed went 20 for 20 serving with three aces, and Haley Krieger had 30 assists.
Class 1A
Sixth-seeded St. Paul (26-9) knocked off No. 2 Powder Valley in four sets in the semifinals at Ridgeview High School to reach the Buckaroos’ fourth final in the past five years, where they’ll face first-time finalist and top seed Crane.
Senior Meredith Coleman and junior Audra Rose had 13 kills apiece in the 25-22, 25-15, 16-25, 25-22 semifinal win. Rose served five aces, Gracie Koch had 30 assists, and Isla Haven made 20 digs.
The Mustangs (32-2) defeated Malheur County rival Adrian in three sets and Umpqua Valley Christian in four to advance to their first championship match.
Powder Valley reached the semifinals with a three-set sweep of Crosshill Christian in the quarterfinals. Ellie Bartel had eight kills and 11 digs in the loss, Ryland Minnick had eight kills and three aces, and Allison Koontz made 11 digs.
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